There is now widely-acknowledged incentive, both commercially and industrially, for developing a color three-dimensional display system that can be viewed from unencumbered perspectives. Technological advances of the last decade have made scientists and engineers increasingly aware of three-dimensional imaging as both viable and realistic. However, the commercial systems in use have several drawbacks.
For example, current conventional three-dimensional autostereoscopic displays project two images that are recorded from two slightly different angles placed on top of each other toward a screen. A viewer wears special spectacles/goggles that filter out one of these images to allow each of the viewer's eyes to see only one of the projected images. The brain translates the two images into a perceived three-dimensional image. However, the three-dimensional image alone cannot be viewed from varying directions without the use of these special spectacles or goggles.
The transitioning of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology into the three-dimensional arena has provided a step away from the drawbacks of the autostereoscopic systems, however other disadvantages arise. For example, the Depthcube™ display, manufactured by Light Space Technologies Inc., provides a system for portraying a three-dimensional image within a stack of planar LCDs. However, the three-dimensional images can only be viewed from a single side of the image space, similar to traditional two-dimensional displays.
Accordingly, a three-dimensional imaging system and method of using the imaging system to provide better-quality images viewable from multiple angles, as compared with the currently available technologies, will provide a commercially and industrially marketable product.